SPORTS DIGEST

Today's other stories in brief

Kurten and Twomey take top prizes

EQUESTRIAN SPORTS:Jessica Kürten's good form continued over the weekend when recording back-to-back wins in the European legs of the Rolex FEI World Cup when adding yesterday's qualifier in Zurich to the one she landed a week earlier at Leipzig, writes Margie McLoone.

Again riding Lady Georgina Forbes’s 13-year-old mare Castle Forbes Libertina, Germany-based Kürten was one of 15 riders through to the jump-off round where her time of 31.27 proved unbeatable.

Finland’s Mikael Forsten, riding Isaac du Jonquet, finished in second place, over a second and a half adrift of the Cullybackey-born winner.

Kürten, who narrowly missed out on landing the title of leading rider of the show, won a Mercedes car for her efforts while the 20 World Cup points moved her into seventh place in the western European league where the pace is set by Australia’s Edwina Alexander on 56 points.

An hour later in Amsterdam, Cork-born Billy Twomey made it a very successful weekend for Irish riders when winning the Grand Prix on his own nine-year-old stallion Je T’Aime Flamenco.

The 31-year-old, who is based in Cheshire, was one of 10 to go clear from a field of 45 starters.

Afterwards, Ireland’s show jumping team manager Robert Splaine said: “This has been a phenomenal week in the sport for the Irish, with our riders claiming the two top prizes in Europe on one day.”

Mosley claims WBA title

BOXING:American challenger Shane Mosley claimed the WBA welterweight title with a stunning ninth round stoppage of Mexican Antonio Margarito at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, on Saturday. The 37-year-old softened up his opponent with a series of blistering combinations in the eighth round before ending the fight with a technical knockout 43 seconds into the ninth. Mosley's hand and foot speed made the difference as he won virtually every round. "It was my strategy, my focus and my game plan that won it," Mosley said after winning his fifth world title. "I had a good coach. I knew it was going to be a tough fight. I prepared hard and I trained very hard. And it was also my left hook. I caught (Fernando) Vargas with it, I caught (Richardo) Mayorga with it."

Roche 14th in Tour Down Under

CYCLING:Nicolas Roche yesterday finished a fine 14th overall in the Tour Down Under, Shane Stokes writes. The Ag2r La Mondiale rider was 44 seconds behind overall winner Allan Davis (Quick Step) in the ProTour event, showing better form than he expected at this early part of the season.

“It’s not bad for first race, especially a ProTour event,” he said. “Unfortunately it doesn’t get me any ProTour points, though.”

Yesterday’s final stage was a 90 kilometre street race in Adelaide and, as expected, came down to a bunch gallop. Australian rivals Robbie McEwen (Silence Lotto) and Graeme Brown (Rabobank) looked set to fight out the win between them but a clash slowed both and saw them finish just behind Italian rider Francesco Chicchi (Liquigas).

Roche’s squad were a third in the teams’ classification. He will now travel to Europe to prepare for the start of the season there.

Reg Gutteridge dies

BOXING:Reg Gutteridge, the legendary commentator and journalist, has died after a short illness. He was 84.

An amateur boxer as a youngster, Gutteridge turned to journalism after losing a leg when he stepped on a mine at Normandy during the Second World War.

He worked for the Evening News as its boxing correspondent for 40 years. But he made his name as ITV’s voice of boxing, later forming a commentating partnership with former world lightweight champion Jim Watt. The pair later moved to Sky. Awarded an OBE in 1995, London-born Gutteridge also covered six Olympic Games.

Such was his popularity within boxing that he struck up friendships with many fighters. During the 1980s, when ill in hospital, Muhammad Ali was among the visitors. He leaves a wife, daughter and four grandsons.

Carroll stretches Ireland's lead

MOTOR SPORT:Adam Carroll extended Ireland's lead in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport with victory in the sprint race and second in the feature race at Taupo, New Zealand, yesterday. The Portadown driver led the sprint race from pole to beat Neel Jani of Switzerland with Robert Doornbus of the Netherlands finishing third, writes Brian Foley.

Jani, the most experienced driver in A1 Grand Prix, was not expected to race in new Zealand after being ill with a viral infection the previous week, which was initially feared to be meningitis.

Carroll led the feature race again off pole with Jani in close pursuit of the A1GP Ireland car. The Swiss driver snatched the lead in the second round of pit stops when Carroll’s Ferrari engine momentarily faltered.

Once in front Jani controlled the race, maintaining the lead despite a late safety car period which closed up the field. Portugal’s Filipe Albuquerqe was 3rd, ahead of John Martin (Australia), Doornbos (Netherlands) and Loic Duval (France).

Ireland lead 2007/’08 champions Switzerland by 13 points in the 2008/’09 series.

A1GP World Cup 1, Ireland 65; 2, Switzerland 52; 3, Portugal 49; 4, France 41; 5, Netherlands 38; 6, New Zealand 35; 7, Malaysia 30; 8, Australia 30; 9, USA 19; 10, Britain 16; 11, South Africa 16; 12, Monaco 9; 13, Italy 8; 14, India 5; 15, Brazil 4; 16, Korea 4; 17, China 4; 18, Lebanon 3; 19, Indonesia 0; 19, Mexico 0